A brokered convention happens when no single candidate has a majority (51 percent) of delegates during the first round of balloting. Even if Donald Trump wins more delegates than any other candidate, if he doesn’t hit that magic number (1,237) on the first round, there’ll be a second ballot.

In the second ballot, delegates are no longer bound to voting outcomes. They can change who they support. This means that there is even the possibility that the nomination could go to someone who is not even running.

“There’s no modern precedent for convention beyond a first ballot,” Kondik said. “But if we go to [the Republican Convention in] Cleveland and nobody has a majority, and they go beyond a first ballot, it’s possible that anything goes. Eventually, the convention could nominate someone who has not participated in the primaries.”

It seems unlikely that this would happen, and the GOP would have the mess of Trump as a third candidate, but it is possible. This second ballot would mean that those who had not done well on the trail would be back in the running.

Two that fit this criterion is Kasich and Rubio. Though it is possible if not likely that they are not even going to win in their home states respectively, they could still worm their way into the nomination. A brokered convention is their only hope. And that is likely the reason for their hanging on even as there is no hope for them to catch Trump.

The remarks scramble expectations for the primary race. To date, Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz have been pressuring both Rubio and Kasich to get out, hoping Tuesday’s five primaries might be the final blow to their underdog bids. But if they stay in, they could continue to draw delegates and help prevent any candidate from clinching the nomination before the convention.

It seems that the establishment candidates have been given some assurance that they have a chance, regardless what the voter wants.